| Latest cases of dengue fever contracted on Provo | | Print | |
| Thursday, 03 November 2011 13:03 | |||
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The number of dengue fever cases confirmed in the Turks and Caicos Islands has risen to nine, all contracted on Providenciales and not from travel to countries with dengue problems. The Ministry of Health and Human Services said there was no history of travel in any of the cases to other countries, as was the case with several cases reported earlier this year. The fact that all of the current cases plus one suspected case were diagnosed in Providenciales doesn’t mean that residents on other islands should be complacent because there is so much interisland travel. Dengue fever is a flu-like illness caused by a virus that is spread to humans by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito which is found in TCI. While government is spraying pesticides to keep the mosquito population down, the public is urged to make sure there is no standing water on their property where mosquitoes can breed, and that they properly seal and dispose of solid waste. A mosquito becomes infected with the dengue virus when it bites a person who has the virus in their blood. A person can only become infected if bitten by an infected mosquito. Dengue cannot be spread directly from person to person. The illness can last up to 10 days, but complete recovery can take as long as a month. Although most dengue fever infections result in a relatively mild illness, some persons such as older children and adults are usually sicker than young children. Dengue fever infection can also sometimes progress to a severe form of dengue known as dengue hemorrhagic fever. The signs and symptoms of dengue are high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, mild bleeding (usually in the nose or gums), easy bruising and a rash, which usually appears three to four days after the start of the fever. Nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite are also common. People experiencing any of the signs and symptoms are advised to report to the nearest health facility immediately and avoid taking aspirin for any related or similar signs or symptoms.
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